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Dual Purpose vs. Street Bike Traction on Pavement - How Different?

6K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Seldom Seen 
#1 · (Edited)
I've only had a few practice sessions on my brand new Honda CRF150F dirt bike. It's my first ever bike and I'm loving it! Next spring I will take the MSF class and may just buy a low power motorcycle that is street legal. I was all set to choose the beautiful retro Suzuki TU250X which is a street bike. Now that I have acquired an appreciation for off road riding I'm more inclined to purchase the dual purpose Yamaha XT250 so that I can do both street and dirt with the same bike.

How much of a relative difference in traction on dry pavement would there be between two such light weight 250cc machines? I would think that the dual would not corner or brake as efficiently given the knobby tires. How much would this affect a beginning rider? I would definitely not ride either of them on freeways or major highways. I'm sixty-four and in excellent physical condition but not interested in crazy fast.
 
#2 ·
Knobbies

You do not need full knobbies for the dirt. What we used to call trials universal tyres will work fine. They are now called dual purpose. They will work fine in the dirt and on the street. But let me qualify that.
If you are in soft sand or deep mud, or trying to get up a very steep and long hill with a thick layer of pine needles, the knobbies work better.
If you want maximum lean angle, or maximum braking from three discs, the good sport bike tyres work better.

Real riding is off the beaten path, IMO.

Unkle Crusty*
 
#3 ·
I'm quite sure that the dual purpose tires that come standard on the Yamaha XT250 will be more than adequate for the modest dirt riding that I will do. My question is how will they perform on the street relative to a dedicated street bike like the Suzuki TU250X at a comparable speed in corners and braking? Would I be taking on significantly more risk as a new rider by going with the dual bike on the pavement?
 
#4 ·
My question is how will they perform on the street relative to a dedicated street bike like the Suzuki TU250X at a comparable speed in corners and braking? Would I be taking on significantly more risk as a new rider by going with the dual bike on the pavement?
The dual purpose tires will perform well on the street for cornering and braking. I've ridden both the XT and the TU quite a bit. They are different motorcycles, specifically in how the suspension feels. You may want to switch to a more street-centric tire on the XT if you are mostly riding on the street once the stock tires wear and need to be replaced.
 
#6 ·
Dual purpose tires are typically rated by on-road/off-road performance. For example, you can buy tires that are 80/20. That means it was intended to be a tire that sees 80% pavement, and 20% off road. And obviously the higher the number is toward one side or the other, the better it will perform in that respective situation. And 80-on/20-off tire will perform better on pavement than a 20/80 tire. And vice versa.

My dual sport bike sees soft sand trails all the time. I had the stock tires on it originally. They were roughly a 50/50 tire. They were quite good on pavement, but were horrible off road. So I switched to the most aggressive DOT rated tire I could find. My new tires are 10% on road / 90% off road. They are merely acceptable on road tires. They are loud, vibrate your junk until it tingles and falls asleep, and they like to wallow and follow cracks. Braking was noticeably reduced due to the flexibility of the big knobs. But they shine off road. Amazing off road.

Dual sport tires, like the bikes themselves, are a compromise of on road and off road. When deciding what tire you want, consider how you are going to use the bike. For an example of the on/off road ratings, check out these two tires from the same manufacturer.
Kenda Trakmaster II
Kenda K761
 
#8 · (Edited)
In a few posts, the OP got much useful information. What a wonderful system.
The span of time from my experience with knobbies and trials universal tyres, to Lurch's percentage guide, is about 40 plus years.

Unkle Crusty*
True! The internet is a wonderful thing. Thanks Lurch and all. The stock tires on the XT250 appear to be 50/50 which will work for me. I am leaning somewhat toward more off road than on - about 40/60. The more I read about riding on pavement leads me to believe that the glory days of riding there are long past. Fortunately I live in the country and the town I would ride to is very small. The police there are extremely vigilant about speeders and reckless drivers. If you ever drive through Lyons, Colorado don't speed.
 
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